The information explosion and the need for high-performance communications for server-to-storage and server-to-server networking have been the focus of much recent attention. Performance improvements in storage, processors, and workstations, along with the move to distributed architectures such as client/server, have spawned increasingly data-intensive and high-speed networking applications. The interconnect between these systems and their input/output devices demands a new level of performance in reliability, speed, and distance. Fibre Channel, a highly-reliable, gigabit interconnect technology allows concurrent communications among workstations, mainframes, servers, data storage systems, and other peripherals using SCSI and IP protocols. Fibre Channel provides interconnect systems for multiple topologies that can scale to a total system bandwidth on the order of a terabit per second.
Because Fibre Channel and like interconnect technologies produce high frequency short wavelength energy, devices using Fibre Channel interconnects must be shielded to prevent radio frequency interference (RFI) and provide electromagnetic compatibility (EMC). Presently, such devices are shielded using components such as shielding gaskets, conductive foam, Beryllium Copper (BeCu) springs, and the like to prevent high frequency energy from escaping the device's housing. However, prior shielding methods often allow energy to escape from the interconnects into the electronic device's housing where it could interfere with the operation of other electronic components. Consequently, it is desirable to provide a system for efficiently channeling high frequency signals through sheet metal containment within such an electronic device.